Gavin was a tall man, with short black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was over three hundred years old and as a result, was the undisputed leader of the group of vampires who shared the house. His wife, Juliette, was sitting next to him.
On the other side of him sat Cassy and Brian. They were best friends, but had never been romantically involved, mainly because Brian was gay. They looked an odd pair, with Brian’s dark, almost black, skin contrasting with Cassy’s Asian appearance, but they were rarely seen apart when in the house.
They would all get a say in what Luke’s punishment would be, but it was to Gavin that he addressed his answer.
“My girlfriend is human and I brought her here to meet you.”
“So you have told her all about us have you?” Gavin asked. Luke did not like the tone of his voice.
“She knows what we are, if that is what you mean.”
“He has also claimed her,” Martin said before Luke could begin to explain his actions.
Gasps came from all around the table and Gavin frowned. “Why?” he asked.
“To make sure it was safe to bring her here.” Gavin continued to frown at Luke. He had never broken the rules before. Of everyone living at the house, he was probably the most sensible. He always thought things through and never did anything to put the family in any danger. Something was going on and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
“How do you know she can be trusted?”
“I just know. I can’t explain why.” Luke was the only one in the room standing. He didn’t feel comfortable sitting while being questioned.
Juliette looked at her husband. “You don’t think—” she started to say, but Gavin held up his hand to silence her.
“How long have you known her?” He no longer sounded angry, more like curious. This didn’t put Luke at ease.
“Do you want to know in days or hours?”
“There is no need to be sarcastic,” Juliette snapped at him.
“I’m not. I first met her a couple of weeks ago. Our first official date was Friday night.”
“You have got to be joking,” Brian said. “There is no way you know her well enough to trust her. Are you insane? You have to wipe her memory, right now.”
“No.” Everyone around the table was surprised by the forcefulness of Luke’s tone. Everyone except for Gavin and Juliette, who smiled at each other.
“Where is she?” Gavin asked.
“Gabriel is showing her around the house.”
“You trust her with your cousin?” Cassy asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “I know you have claimed her, but that has never stopped Gabriel trying to seduce someone. He sees it as a challenge.”
“He won’t try anything with her. She’s his manager.”
“Oh this keeps getting better and better,” Cassy said. “Anything else you want to tell us? I thought this was going to just be another boring family meeting. It’s so nice of you to provide us with some entertainment.”
Luke glared at her. Gavin cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Go and get her. I think we should meet her, don’t you? After all, that is why you brought her here.”
Luke hoped he was mistaken, but it sounded like Gavin was trying not to laugh. This meeting was not going at all as he expected.
He found Anna and Gabriel in his bedroom. Gabriel was lying on the bed, his legs crossed and his arms behind his head, watching Anna look around the room at all of Luke’s things.
“Get your shoes off my bed,” Luke said as he walked into the room.
“How’s it going?” Gabriel asked as he swung his legs down to the ground.
“I’m not sure. They want to meet Anna.” He held out his hand and she took it. “I hope Gabriel has been behaving.”
“Of course I have,” Gabriel said as he stood up.
The three left the room and headed back to the dining room. Gabriel took one of the vacant seats while Anna sat down in the one at the front of the table. Luke stood behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. He gave quick introductions, then Gavin told him to leave.
“No.” Luke had never refused an order from Gavin before, but Gavin didn’t reprimand him. Instead he smiled.
“I wish to speak to Anna without you being around,” he said to Luke. “Either you leave now or I’ll make you.”
“Like hell—” Luke began to say but Gabriel jumped up and pushed his cousin out of the door before he could finish the sentence.
“Stay calm,” he said as Luke struggled against him. Gabriel was by far the stronger of the two so he was struggling in vain. “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise. Alright?”
When Luke nodded, Gabriel released him. “Stay,” he said and went back into the dining room.
From inside the room, Gavin could hear Luke pacing outside. “Go find something to do,” he called out and waited until he could hear footsteps climbing the stairs. Then he turned to Anna. “Why don’t you tell us all about yourself?”
Why can’t I control her
While Anna was being interrogated by Luke’s family, Craig was being subjected to the same thing by JD.
“How serious are things between you and Natalie?” JD asked.
“Is that really any of your business?” Craig said. As his trainer, JD had authority over a lot of things in Craig’s life, but he didn’t see how his relationship with Natalie was one of them.
“Yes, it is. And it’s your trainer asking, not your best friend’s husband.”
Craig shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “We’ve moved in together. Does that answer your question?”
“Not really, no. Would your relationship survive a long separation?”
Craig leaned forward in his seat. “How long?”
“A year.”
Craig thought he knew where this was going, but wanted confirmation. “Why?”
JD smiled at him. “I’ve been asked to see if you would be interested in becoming a trainer.”
Craig relaxed back again. He felt honoured to be asked, and hadn’t been expecting it, but he wasn’t sure it was what he wanted. He loved living at 14 and hunting with the team and if he did become a trainer, he would have to move. He would be given his own team to lead and train.
Also there was Natalie to consider. She wouldn’t be allowed to accompany him when he went away and he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her for that long. Since she had been rescued and moved into the Sanctuary, he had seen her every single day.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now,” JD said. “You can think about it for a while. Discuss it with Natalie.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Craig said. “I am interested, of course I am, but not yet. Maybe in a few years. I’m still too young.”
“Fair enough,” JD said. He didn’t mention that Craig was a lot older than JD had been when he was sent away for training, but he had been an exception. It was unheard of to train someone to be a trainer when they were only eighteen, but JD had shown such promise that he was sent anyway.
His year away changed him a lot, making him highly skilled but also focused. Too focused some thought. A barrier built up between himself and those he grew up with until Sarah came into his life and helped to break it down.
“Out of curiosity,” Craig said, “was I specifically chosen or were you asked which of your team would be a good candidate?”
“Those higher up the chain of command have been keeping a close eye on your progress reports for a couple of years. They think you are ready, but I don’t.”
Craig opened his mouth to say something, but JD held up his hand, silencing him. “Don’t misunderstand me. You are skilled enough, but I agree that you should not go yet. You are too young to give up a year of your life.”
“Can you do me a favour?” Craig asked. “Please don’t mention this to anyone, especially Natalie. If, or when, I decide to go, I’ll discuss it with her, but not until then. I don’t want her to worry about it unti
l she needs to.”
“Alright, I won’t,” JD said, but both men knew that his agreement did not include Sarah. He would talk to her about it later, if he hadn’t already done so. He didn’t keep anything from her.
Craig felt strangely jubilant as he left JD’s office.
————————————-∞————————————-
Meanwhile, over at Luke’s house, Anna was still in the dining room. She answered every question thrown at her, completely and honestly. She was nervous, but not scared.
“So you’re serious about Luke?” Juliette asked.
Anna nodded her head. “I know things are moving very fast, and quite frankly that scares the shit out of me, but it feels right.”
Helen burst out laughing. “Are you insane? You’re in a room full of vampires, yet you show no sign of being frightened, but being in a relationship does scare you?”
Anna shrugged. “Luke said I had nothing to worry about, so why would I be scared of you?”
“And you trusted him?”
“Of course.”
“I have one more question,” Gavin said. “How did you react when you first met Luke?”
Anna had never spoken of her reaction to seeing Luke, not even with Luke himself, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about it in front of all these strangers. But they were his family so they probably had the right to know.
“I don’t know how to describe it. I felt physical pain, as if I had been punched in the stomach or something, and I struggled to breathe.” Then she realised that she wasn’t telling the truth. “No. I’m wrong. That wasn’t the first time I met Luke; it was the first time I saw him.”
She wasn’t sure she liked the way Gavin smiled at her. He turned his attention to Gabriel. “Go and get him. I want to test something.”
It didn’t take long for Gabriel to find his cousin and Luke chose to stand behind Anna once more when he returned to the room.
“You’ve claimed her,” Gavin said to him. “You should be able to control her. Make her do something you know she won’t want to do.”
“Why?”
“I think I know what’s going on and want confirmation.”
Somewhat reluctantly, Luke moved to stand beside Anna’s chair then crouched down so his head was almost level with hers.
“Hit me,” he said when she turned to look at him.
“No. Why would I do that?”
Her refusal confused him. She should not have been able to say no. He decided to try something else. “Go and kiss Gabriel.”
Anna didn’t move. “I’d rather you killed me now,” she said.
Sounds of surprise and uncertainty came from all around the table. “What’s going on?” Luke asked Gavin. “Why can’t I control her?”
Gavin relaxed back in his chair. “It’s called ‘the calling’. Some of you may have heard about it.”
“I thought that only happened between vampires,” Brian said.
“Apparently not, though I’ve never heard of it happening to a human before.” He turned his attention back to Luke, who still looked confused. “You may want to sit down.”
There were spare chairs, but Luke decided not to take one. Instead he got Anna to stand up, took her chair and pulled her onto his lap. He placed his arms around her waist, then indicated that Gavin should continue.
“It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then two vampires, or in this case a vampire and a human, have a connection that nobody can explain. As soon as they see each other a bond forms. Nothing and nobody can break this bond. The attraction they feel toward each other cannot be fought against, hence the reason your relationship has moved forward so quickly. Luke, you and Anna are meant to be together and God help anyone who tries to come between you.”
“Is it true this only happens to greater vampires, not the lesser ones?” Brian said.
“Greater vampires?” Anna asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Luke said. He wanted to know more about ‘the calling’ and didn’t want to be distracted.
“As far as I am aware, yes.”
Juliette took over. “‘The calling’ prevents Luke from controlling Anna. They will do anything and everything for each other because they want to, not because they’re being forced to. If Luke had asked Anna to hit him, without trying to control her, she probably would have done it. I doubt she would have kissed Gabriel though.”
“Charming,” Gabriel muttered.
“What does this actually mean?” Anna asked.
“It means we either have to accept you and welcome you as part of Luke’s life, or we lose Luke. If ever he is forced to choose between you and someone else, he will always choose you.”
“Well at least we now have an explanation for our behaviour,” she said.
“Speaking of which,” Martin said, “how are we going to punish Luke for breaking the rules?”
“We’re not,” Gavin said.
Martin started to protest that it was unfair that he always got punished but nobody else did, but the look Gavin gave him made him go silent.
“Luke,” Gavin said slowly and deliberately so that everyone knew that what he was saying was not up for discussion, “is not in control of himself as far as Anna is concerned. It’s not his fault. We cannot punish him for that. We are all going to have to learn to be tolerant if he breaks any more rules and it seems like we’re going to have to get used to the house smelling of human.”
He then focused on Luke. “However, this is only in regard to Anna. If you break our rules for any other reason, I will make you wish you weren’t immortal. Understand?”
“Perfectly,” Luke said. “Can we go now?” He wanted to talk to Anna alone. What Gavin had said had unsettled him so he couldn’t even begin to imagine how she was feeling.
“Of course,” Gavin said. Luke and Anna stood up and he took her hand to lead her from the room.
“What did Gabriel show you?” he asked once they were alone.
“Everything, I think.”
“What about the basement?”
“Why would I want to see the basement? Have you got torture devices down there or something?”
Luke laughed. “Not exactly. Come on. They won’t think to look for us there.”
The basement contained a bedroom, with an en-suite bathroom. It was sparsely furnished with just a bed and a chair. The door was made from reinforced steel, the lock was on the outside instead of the inside and there were two large bolts, one at the top and one at the bottom. It was designed to keep people in not out.
Luke led her into the room and they sat down on the bed. Then he explained that the room was a prison. Should any vampire get out of control, and it had been known to happen, they were put in there until they were safe to be released.
“Have you ever been locked in here?” Anna asked.
“Not yet, but it’s bound to happen one day. Greater vampires go through things that they sometimes can’t control.”
He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Do you feel comfortable staying here for a while longer or do you want to head home?”
“We can stay. Tell me about lesser and greater vampires. What’s the difference?”
Luke released her hand and kicked off his shoes before laying back on the bed. He held his arm out and she joined him. He held her close as he explained all about vampires.
Luke, and everyone he lived with, were greater vampires. They were more powerful than lesser vampires and didn’t age. Only greater vampires could control people with their venom or claim someone. To become a greater vampire, you had to be turned by one and then drink their blood. If someone was turned but drank normal human blood as their first meal, they would become a lesser vampire.
Lesser vampires were more powerful than humans, but were nothing compared to the greater ones. They aged as though they were still human and could be killed, but would always come back to life unless they were beheaded. Lesser vampire
s could turn humans, but could only create lesser vampires. Most didn’t even know greater vampires existed. It also took a lot less time for a human to turn when bitten by a lesser vampire.
“So why do you only live with greater vampires?” Anna asked.
“Because we’re snobs. We don’t see lesser ones as real vampires. They are just poor imitations. Compare a household cat to a lion and you get the general idea. The difference isn’t really that great, but we greater vampires like to think it is. I guess we’re a bit egotistical.”
“Have you ever met any lesser vampires?”
“A few, that I know of. We can’t always tell if someone is a vampire unless they do something to give themselves away. We never reveal what we are to lesser vampires, or humans, usually, but we will to greater vampires. It would be impolite not to.”
Luke and Anna talked about vampires for a while longer. She wanted to know everything about what Luke was and his family.
He explained how he and Gabriel met Gavin and Juliette and decided to travel with them for a while. Having been vampires for so long, there was a lot they could teach the two cousins. Cassy and Brian were already part of the group.
Others came and went as they toured the country. Eventually they decided to settle down and had the house built. They purposely built it much larger than they needed, in case any other greater vampires wished to join them.
Martin and Helen were the last to arrive. They had been turned younger than most and were still relatively new to being vampires. As a result, Martin in particular kept making mistakes.
“Martin is the reason I had to leave so suddenly yesterday morning,” Luke said. “He brought a girl back here for the night. Unfortunately he’s not powerful enough to wipe her memory for more than a few hours, so Gavin had to bite her and take care of the problem. He is now banned from ever spending the night with a girl he bites, unless he changes her memories as soon as he has taken her blood. He’s young. He’ll learn.”
Luke then asked Anna how she was feeling about what Gavin had said.
“To be honest, I’m not sure what to think.” She took hold of his hand and interlaced her fingers with his as she spoke. “At least we know why being together feels so right.”
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